1 thought on “Daughter of the Flames”

Daughter of the Flames was quite a treat. It really had a little bit of everything: action, adventure, drama, political mystery, goddesses and the divine, romance—if you can name it, it was probably there. Marriott manages to balance all of these elements and create a fantasy that is not too overwhelming for the reader to understand. But what I really enjoyed about most about this book (aside from the awesome sparring scenes) was the complexity of its characters and their interactions. Though [...]

This book is perilously close to a full 5 stars. Because I can't decide, I am for now, instead going to give it a glowing review and demand that you just go out and read the book. The weakest part of this book and one reason it isn't getting an automatic 5 stars is the prologue. I feel that Ms. Marriott tried to tell us too much about her world all at once, by alternately giving the reader way more information about the happenings of this world than we can currently handle and casually tossing o [...]

I've had my eye on Zoë Marriott's second novel, DAUGHTER OF THE FLAMES, since I read Chelle's review lo these many months ago. So I was happy to see it pop up on my Cybils reading list. I've read several books lately that have had an Asian/Middle Eastern flavor to them and was surprised and very much pleased to find DAUGHTER OF THE FLAMES did as well. This was my first novel by Ms. Marriott and I was both looking forward to giving a new author a shot and in the mood for some more traditional fa [...]

From inside jacket flap: "What if your deadliest enemy was the only one who could save you.In an ancient temple in the mountains, fifteen-year-old Zira trains in the martial arts to become a warrior priestess, defending the faith of the Ruan people. Then terror strikes at everything Zira loves, and the only home she knows is destroyed byt the occupying forces of tyrannical King Abheron. To survive, she must unravel the secrets of her identity, decide her people's fate - and accept her growing fe [...]

Its been a while but I remember why I wanted to read this book. Firstly for the main girl; she sounded like a strong heroine that can really hold her ground. Secondly because of my brother. Now he doesn’t read books like this but I remember how he used to always say call himself 'Lord of the Flame' (I think he got it from some movie). So the name Daughter of the Flame caught my eye.I was really hoping to love this book but I was kind of disappointed. Part of it had to do with the main girl. At [...]

This has been a theme for me lately and I really should learn from it: do not judge a book by its cover. And let me tell you, this book's cover is spectacular, I mean really, it's beautiful. The book itself, however was boring.There was nothing particularly wrong with the story. The writing dragged a bit at times, but it wasn't bad. The plot was just the same old fantasy rehash - I notice Marriott thanked Diana Wynne Jones for writing The Tough Guide to Fantasyland but, really, wasn't the whole [...]

Daughter of the Flames opened beautifully. Readers enter into a vibrant new world where the unfortunate people have been suppressed by a brutal tyrant. The dynamics of this novel were wonderful. Marriott’s style is lightly reminiscent of the classic fairytale of old. The characters each had distinct personalities, especially the heroine, Zira.The passion that Zira feels for what she believes in shines through Daughter of the Flames. But the truly captivating aspect of her personality is how sh [...]

Oh Zoë Marriott the ways I adore you… ♥Let me get this out of the way: I am an absolutely massive Zoë Marriott fan. Truthfully I have loved every single one of her books. Daughter of the Flames was my emergency read, like that book you keep when things get on top of you and you need escape and comfort. I’d been saving it for years.If I was comparing Daughter of the Flames to Zoë Marriott’s most recent Name of the Blade Trilogy then there differences. I mean Zira’s story was Zoë’s [...]

The basic plot here is a fairly cliche high fantasy lost-prince(ss) vs usurping tyrant set-up, but Marriott does manage to add some original elements to make it her own. Zira and Sorin were fairly solid main characters, and I liked that the author did not break down the two sides in the conflict along strictly national/ethnic boundaries (although I think the country of Sedorne could have used some development). Most importantly, I was glad to see Marriott improving as an author -- the writing an [...]

Daughter of Flames is a stand alone, which seems to be harder and harder to find in YA nowadays. It does have a companion novel which has other characters in it, but it isn't necessary to read that one to enjoy this one. While I liked that about it, it was also a drawback because I felt the story was a little rushed at times. This book could have gotten five stars from me if it had progressed at a slower pace through certain parts. For example, I wanted to experience how Zahira and Sorin got clo [...]

I originally rated this book three stars, because of the last sixty pages, but I ended up lowering it. Because although those last sixty pages were pretty good, the first 280 were not.I'm going to talk about those last sixty pages first. Obviously there's not a lot I can say without spoilers, but there was a big plot twist, and then it got super fast paced and intense, and I really enjoyed it.But the rest of the book? Bleh.First of all, the characters had no personality. Like, none.Second of all [...]

thedailyprophecy/2My first experience with Zoë Marriott was her lovely retelling The swan kingdom. From that moment I knew I had to read more from her and the sweet Kristen gave this copy to me. Thanks to her I’m now aware that I really like Marriott’s stories and I’m going to hunt down a copy from the companion novel called Frostfire. You can download the first chapter for free if you like to try it out: Zoë Marriott.The world-building and concept of this book are pretty basic. Ruan is [...]

The cover of this book is a beautiful piece of art, and, if you read through the entire book, actually fits the story perfectly. Except for the fact that Zahira (the female lead) was supposed to be scarred on the left side of her face, leaving an ugly white mark all the way down the middle of her forehead, and leaving her left eye slightly distorted. The girl on the cover, however, is practically flawless. In simpler terms, she doesn’t look the part at all.Another thing that was glaringly obvi [...]

A satisfying menarche fantasy.*spoilers follow*Zira has been disfigured as a child in the fire that killed her parents. She remembers nothing of her childhood as she grows up in a sheltered monastery. There she is protected from the Sedorne conquerors who have despoiled the land of Ruan. Trained as a warrior priestess, her one desire is to be a fighting namoa but she is unsure where her guardian Surya will choose to appoint her when her sixteenth birthday comes. Just before that, Surya takes her [...]

Another great read by Zoe Marriott. DotF follows the story of 15 year old Zira. Although she is young, she's fearless, which is just as well, because the antagonist in this story is warped as well as evil.Ms Marriott has been very clever with this book because, not only do you get to know the heroine in DotF, you also get to know her opponent and his motivations and, strangely, you feel some sympathy for him. It really makes you question what makes a person evil? And can evil people do good thin [...]

I found this book, the English version, in a bookstore here in Malaysia and I was instantly attracted by the cover. It's a beautiful, striking piece of art.Zira grows up training, hoping to become a novice and a fighting warrior. She lives in Ruan, which was invaded ten years ago by the Sendrone. One day before her 16th birthday, her home, a holy temple, is attacked by the Sendrone king insinuated in Ruan. Upon escaping their attack, Zira discovers something about herself, thanks to the God's fi [...]

I'm normally a fan of Zoe Marriott, but I have to say I preferred "The Swan Kingdom" over this.I found it lacked a bit of substance in some areas. The plot had a few interesting twists but in the midst of all that we lost sight of a few plot elements that just got lost and only showed up again at the very very end.I feel Zahira and Sorin's relationship was a little flat, and we could have learned more about Zahira herself. Abheron was a little disappointing as villains go, but not all bad. You c [...]

A light and fast paced book with an interesting plot and characters. A lost princess without family and freshly recovered memories and destiny, a country oppressed and divided in two, the invading Sedorne and the conquered Rua and a tyrant king with his very own sad story.That was the first book I've read by the author and she has some great ideas, so I'll definitely keep an eye out for more.

i enjoyed this book, but found the main 'dude' too good to be true. i really enjoyed that the main 'dude' was not able to solve all the damsel in distresses problems. She has to do it herself. it was also a nice change to read a book that wrapped up and had a real ending. Of course, there are always possibilities, but closure was nice.

Heir to the thrown of a conquered nation is told of her heritage at 16 and considers the help of an enemy to regain her place.Interesting premise, but total fail in the resolution. I won't give it away, but the ending is an "Oh, c'mon!" Blah. Still the writing is okay, and the heroine interesting enough for when teens have run through all the other strong-girl based adventure books.

Enter Zahira, a warrior priestess in training at a shrine to their 'God.' She lost her memory when she was 5 and then, at age 15, her shrine is burned down by a relative that she didn't know existed. Now, as she regains her memories she has to lead her people to either their rise, or their downfall. Packed with action, romance, and secrets, 'Daughter of the Flames' is a guarrenteed good read.

Daughter of the Flames is a novel that is both heartfelt yet stunning. Aside from the vast amount of different authors with their own versions of this book, this was a first and favorite by Zoe Marriott. On a side note, this is also a great opportunity to appreciate and admire the beautiful cover. The flames are just so majestic and even though Zira does not look at all of how some envisioned her to be, it is still just as beautiful. Marriott’s style portrays a fair amount of the old classic f [...]

This just might be my new favorite book. I loved the richness of the characters and the complexities of the plot. I could not stop reading. This book both shocked me and made me continuously want more. I am so happy to find out it is part of a series.